Developing
The post and email differ in places, and quote, approval and off-switch controls are not described.
In 60 seconds
- Smart Lead Reply costs $30 a month and rolls out in November 2026 to eligible service pros with Request a Quote enabled.
- Earlier Yelp agents: Yelp Receptionist was $99 a month and Yelp Host $149 at launch; Host later rose to $249.
- Yelp bought Hatch in January 2026 for about $270 million cash plus $30 million in retention payments.
- Q2 2026 services advertising was $240.96 million, roughly flat, with ad clicks down 5%.
Impact Layer
- What changed
- Yelp is selling an AI agent that responds to and qualifies service leads for a low monthly fee.
- Why it matters
- Speed to reply affects who wins a lead, and cheap agents change expectations for small service businesses.
- Who is affected
- Small service businesses, local marketers and agencies.
- Martech stack area
- AI, Customer Experience
- Stack impact
- If you use Yelp leads, check whether the agent can quote prices you did not set and whether you can review replies before they send.
- Business impact
- Low Based on PPC Land's reading of Yelp's post and email. Accuracy, qualified-lead rates, approval, off switch, trial, AI disclosure to consumers, the model provider and whether $30 is on top of ad spend are not stated.
- Related technologies
- What to watch
- The November rollout and user reports on lead quality.
Yelp published its Fall Product Release on October 20, 2026, according to PPC Land.
Prices and figures
- Smart Lead Reply: $30 a month, rolling out in November to eligible service pros with Request a Quote enabled. Yelp calls it “a new agentic product that responds to customers, vets leads, and helps service professionals win more business”.
- Earlier agents: Yelp Receptionist was $99 a month and Yelp Host $149 at launch; Host later rose to $249 ($199 for Guest Manager customers).
- Hatch acquisition (January 2026): about $270 million cash, plus $30 million in retention payments.
- Q2 2026 services advertising: $240.96 million, roughly flat year over year; ad clicks fell 5%.
Other items
“Check for Me” is coming “in the coming months”, limited to US iOS walk-in restaurants per the post (the email omits those limits). Partners include OpenTable, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, Workiz, Calendly and Shopify.
Not stated
Smart Lead Reply accuracy or qualified-lead rates, whether owners can approve replies before they send, whether the agent can quote prices the owner did not set, an off switch or trial, AI disclosure to consumers, and which model provider powers it.
Our read
Cheap automation helps small businesses reply fast. Make sure you can see and approve what it says in your name.
Sources
- PPC Land: Yelp charges $30 a month for AI agent that answers and qualifies leads (opens in a new tab)
Source for the release's prices, figures and the inconsistencies.